Discussion about making bushwalking-related equipment.
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Heat transfer on a butane camp stove

Fri 10 Nov, 2023 8:41 am

The car camping type.
Did some quick work with stuff I had on hand.
The idea works but the problem is; as I thought it might be; that the fine multi-strand audio wire can't make good enough contact with the shaft of the stainless steel eyebolt.
I have found and ordered some 8g annealed copper wire to wrap the bolts shaft with and I'll post more when the wire arrives and I have wrapped the bolt properly.
I may have to buy a stick of good silver solder to make it work properly. If this works I think I might buy a new butane stove too, I had this one for a long while and it lives in the car; so rust is starting to form on some parts
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Re: Heat transfer on a butane camp stove

Fri 10 Nov, 2023 9:57 am

Stainless is not a good conductor of heat.

Possibly ?? Bolt a strip of aluminum to the canister holder and run it up to the flame. Advantages... self supporting, no soldering, field adjustable, less fuss

Re: Heat transfer on a butane camp stove

Fri 10 Nov, 2023 11:21 am

Absolutely agree with you but i happen to have those eyebolts on the shelf for something else. I've tried aluminium for a Moulder strip and that didn't work at all, melted and blew out far too quickly.
While the SS isn't a good conductor in itself a tight wire wrap should give a better heat transfer. I'm also looking for the roll of 0.15mm copper foil I bought last year and it seems to be missing,
I used the audio wire simply because I have dozens of metres of it in short scrap pieces. Maybe a bit of copper plumbing pipe flattened with a sledge hammer would work better.

Re: Heat transfer on a butane camp stove

Fri 10 Nov, 2023 1:11 pm

Melts Al? Bit warm then.. ok

I'd use electrical wire - stiffer so self supporting... and it is cheaper ... maybe found on a building site as scrap..

Run the wire through the eye bolt, that way the eye bolt is a simple support ...

The copper sheet would be good .. but $.

Re: Heat transfer on a butane camp stove

Fri 10 Nov, 2023 1:50 pm

The problem with house wiring TPS now is that it is all multi-strand stuff. Because it makes more secure twisted connections.
Luckily for me I love tinkering.
I have checked the rubbish piles around here where the sparkies toss the off-cuts [ with permission naturally] and it is all multi-strand.
As for the copper plate I've found some old water pipe and as soon as I find my small anvil [ old railway ] I'll flatten a small piece out

Re: Heat transfer on a butane camp stove

Tue 21 Nov, 2023 7:33 am

The thicker solid wire I bought wasn't easy to wrap but I got there.
For this experiment I didn't bother with the small flat bit of copper sheet as I couldn't get it dead flat on my home made anvil.
I stayed with the copper ring auto connector.
Firing it up later today, waiting while I find my thermocouple to test the actual temperature at the bottom of the butane canister

Re: Heat transfer on a butane camp stove

Mon 18 Mar, 2024 10:59 am

Well surprise, surprise, my MYOG didn't make that much difference.
While the copper wire got very, very hot the transfer to the steel under the gas cylinder is very poor and only rose a degree or two.
Talking to a mate who has suggested a plate under the stove with the windshield keeping the heap closed in might work better so I will work on a new version soon and trial it over the Easter break somewhere cool
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